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"I hate this weather," Chambers said. "It's too cold for me. I'm from a tropical country so that's not my cup of tea."

The cold temperatures were doing more than causing discomfort. Wednesday two Metro rails cracked, plunging the a.m. commute into chaos for riders on the Red, Blue and Yellow lines.

Both cracks were fixed, but not before causing a troublesome trip into work.

Wednesday was not as cold and there were no snowstorms in sight. The temperatures were near 32 degrees and the core of the cold air was moving off. By Friday and Saturday, temperatures are expected to be back in the 50s.

For some, the weather fluctuations have ominous implications.

"[The weather] is unpredictable," said Maryland Delegate Tom Hucker. "We have to do more about climate change because climate change brings unpredictable weather."

Unseasonably frosty temperatures are also threatening business in South Florida where farmers are scrambling to cover crops.

"To go from 80 degrees down to 20 degrees in about three days is going to be a shock," said citrus farmer Justin Sorrells.

But Florida farmers do have encouraging news. Temperatures are expected to hit the 70s on Friday.

Others are embracing the cold weather. A Nuts 4 Nuts vendor reported seeing an uptick in sales of hot peanuts and cashews and at the outdoor ice rink--a business made for cold weather--people were all smiles.

"It's been very chilly but it hasn't stopped us," said Beth Rosen who was visiting Silver Spring. "We've enjoyed exploring downtown ice skating. It feels like winter."